Page 328 - Global Project Management Handbook

SUCCESS FACTORS IN VIRTUAL GLOBAL SOFTWARE PROJECTS 16-15

users, etc.) that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. One such example,
what it is called a bounding box, from a real company is given in Fig. 16.4. This company
defines the target value for the objective and also defines threshold control limits for each
objective, which represents the upper or lower limit of success for a particular objective.
Status of each objective is reported monthly using the status lights (green—progressing well;
yellow—warning/heads up; and red—stop/needs management intervention).
CSF5: Product and Project Definitions. Clear product definition helps the VGS teams
to avoid surprises during execution. It should begin by defining the target customers
and their needs, as well as the features of the software product. Here, customer
involvement is key. Requirements from customers should be well identified, under-
stood, and translated to the software specifications. Many software companies
employ a use-case analysis at this stage to capture how the user uses the software.
Moreover, it is important that the prototype get developed and sent to users for the
feedback loop: “The prototype should include all key functions of the product,
although sometimes it may not be user-friendly.”
Clear project definition—defining objectives, major deliverables, and activities—helps
the VGS teams to focus on their tasks. This definition should be of an across-site nature,
indicating which sites produce which deliverable, and be based on the defined product
architecture and task-allocation strategy. Hopefully, the VGS project team is flexible
enough to adjust to allocated tasks, or replanning and redefining the scope will occur.
CSF6: Having a Clear Strategic Focus. Strategic focus refers to the rules that guide
the behavior of the project team and direct them to accomplish the project objectives.
It should be incorporated into—and be relevant to—the objectives of the organiza-
tion’s business strategy. For example, if the business sets its position to be that of a

Bounding box
Project objectives/ success measures Box Status
Value proposition: Target Threshold
• Increase market share in software segment
Order growth within 6 months of 10% 5%
introduction
Market share increase one year after
5% 0%
introduction
Schedule:
• Project initiation approval 1/3/2000 1/15/2000
• Software proposal approval 6/1/2000 6/30/2000
• Engineering release approval
11/1/2000 11/30/2000
• Software release to customers
12/1/2000 12/15/2000
Financials:
• Project budget 100% of 105% of
plan plan
• Profitability index
2.0 1.8
FIGURE 16.4 Bounding box.